Aunt Clara's Big Mistake
by Stretch Snodgrass
Summary: Aunt Clara enlists Uncle Arthur to help her undo a spell. Complete. Reviews greatly appreciated.
1. Aunt Clara's Big Mistake

**Aunt Clara's Big Mistake**

_A cloud of dust enveloped the Stephens' living room as two figures emerged from the partially demolished chimney._

"Next time, Sis, I take care of the landing!" said Uncle Arthur grumpily.

"Well, oh, I thought I'd fly, given all your help" responded Aunt Clara.

"Dust, blow away" she ordered.

_A small whirlwind blew the dust out of the room, it also knocked over most of the furniture._

"Well, not bad" said Aunt Clara, "It did do what it was supposed to."

"Call it a dust devil" snickered Arthur.

_With a gesture, Uncle Arthur set the furniture straight._

Aunt Clara looked around eagerly.

"Oh, the place is just like the last time I left it!" she exclaimed. "I've been too, er, ashamed to come back these last few years. I haven't even seen Adam."

Aunt Clara sighed as she looked at the family portrait standing atop the T.V. set. Mr. and Mrs. Stephens, and their two children.

"Forget about it, Clara" said Uncle Arthur impatiently. "Hadn't we better get moving."

"Oh, yes. But first, uh, I'll fix the fireplace" said Aunt Clara.

_She waved her hand at the fireplace, fixing it instantly. Except for the fact it was upside down._

Uncle Arthur broke into a fit of laughter.

"Allow me!" he said.

_He snapped his finger, lighting an upside down fire in the upside down grate_

"Well, er, no" said Aunt Clara. "You didn't really fix it at all."

"Let's leave it like that for a while" Arthur replied. "Really, shouldn't you get to work, before Sammy and what's his name come home?'

_Aunt Clara produced a large, leather-clad book from out of thin air. She waved it open to a book-marked page._

"It's taken me over three years to find and prepare the spell that will undo my mistake."

"Don't be too hard on yourself" laughed Uncle Arthur. "It was a powerful spell, enough to pull the wool over Endora and Maurice's eyes. Not that they'd care one way or another.

"It _was_ a _big _mistake," Aunt Clara allowed.

"Until you disenchanted me," said Arthur, "everyone in the world _but you _had been placed under the spell!"

"Well" said Aunt Clara smiling, "it was an amazing feat of witchcraft, if I could only have easily undone it. Now Arthur, the cauldron."

_The witch and the warlock set up a cauldron, and threw in several odds, ends, potions and elixirs. Then Aunt Clara proceeded to stir._

They were suddenly interrupted. A tall, sneering man had entered the room. Mr. Stephens, the very copy of his portrait.

"Cauldron lessons?" he snarled. "SAM, what's Clara and Arthur doing here."

"Er. . . hello Darren," said Aunt Clara uneasily.

"Hello?" Darren replied sardonically. "If there was a lunatic asylum for witches, I'm sure you two would be in it."

"Watch it" Uncle Arthur warned, crossing his arms. "You know, Clara, now that _I know_, the old one was much better . . . for a mortal."

"What _old one_?" Darren replied.

"This old one, Darren" said Aunt Clara. She began to recite:

_Cauldron, potion, black as night_

_see what I have done wrong and set it right_

_Restore the rightful mortal man_

_Eliminate the spell that turned him into an also ran!_

* * *

_The cauldron exploded, as all the world was covered in black fog. When the mist finally cleared, the man that had been Darren Stephens had vanished, and replaced by another - somewhat similar looking - person entirely._

"Arthur!" said the unidentified man, "Clara! What are you doing here?"

The man was slightly shorter than the vanished Darren Stephens, much more excitable, hair far darker, and with eyes that comically bugged out in surprise.

"The_ real_ Darren!" Aunt Clara exclaimed.

"Quickly" demanded Uncle Arthur. "Who's your son? What's happened these last three years? Who's that in the picture?"

"Adam" said Darrin animatedly. "What do you mean what's happened these last three years? My memory's perfect. And that's a picture of me, Sam and the kids!"

The photograph had changed to match the new (old) Darren Stevens.

"Oh, wonderful!" said Aunt Clara. "I'm, ah, so happy . . . I'll come back at supper to give Adam a gift! Won't it, er, be wonderful to finally meet him? Now what would he want?"

"A-Aunt Clara?" started Darren.

"I won't be back at supper" said Uncle Arthur. "I have a date with the cutest little witch. She's only two hundred years old!"

"B-but" stammered Darren.

"Arthur, will you, er, help me?" asked Aunt Clara, who was now carrying her mysterious book under one arm.

"Sure thing, Sis. First let me put out the fire"

_With a snap of Uncle Arthur's fingers, the fire and fireplace went from upside down to right side up._

"But . . .What did you do to the fireplace?" demanded Darren.

"Oh, er, nothing, nothing at all" said Aunt Clara kindly. "Good, er, bye Darren!"

_Arm in arm, the witch and warlock walked into the wall and disappeared._

"What was all that about it?" mulled Darren. "Something tells me I don't want to know."

_Darren Stephens went to the front hall, lifted his briefcase and went to the relative normalcy of his den. He'd warn Sam that Aunt Clara was paying a visit, when she returned with Esmeralda and the kids._

_Author's Note:_

_My explanation for the change in Darrens, and the absence of Aunt Clara, within the show. In real life, the change in casting was due to Dick York's back injury and Marion Lorne's sudden death from a heart attack._

_The story was to originally end here - but I've been happy to extend the story as per my reviewers' requests._


	2. Aunt Clara's Reward

**Aunt Clara's Reward**

"My dear, a - a young witch - well, er, a rather young witch - like you shouldn't have any trouble with her magic!" Aunt Clara told Esmeralda.

"I have so much trouble with my nerves sometimes" Esmeralda replied sadly.

"Well, dear, look at me!" said Aunt Clara encouragingly. "I, er, had so much trouble with mistakes and wrong spells, yet I still don't let myself get grounded. And three years of practice have meant that I can now get my spells rights - usually - at least on the second time around."

Aunt Clara had returned early for dinner. Darren Stephens was working on an advertising campaign in the den, and Samantha was working on dinner, so Aunt Clara had made up for lost time in visiting Adam and Tabitha.

"Now, Adam" said Aunt Clara. "How about a nice present from your Aunt Clara"

_With a wave of her arm, out of thin air she caught hold of a china headed doll. _

Adam frowned, disgusted.

"No, no, that won't do" said Aunt Clara. "But this'll be right for you, Tabitha."

_After giving the doll to Tabitha, Aunt Clara waved her arm again, producing a large toy fire engine._

"Thank you, Aunt Clara" said Adam.

"Your welcome, Adam" said Aunt Clara. "I'm, er, planning a spell that, I think, will make you both very happy later on. But right now, Adam dear, can you magic up something for me?" Aunt Clara asked kindly.

"I'll give you some nice flowers" said Tabitha.

"No, er, let your brother have the practice. I've heard he's getting to be quite the young warlock!"

"I"ll give you something nice" said Adam.

_Adam pointed with his finger, and out of nowhere popped up a large green frog._

"Er, isn't that nice" said Aunt Clara. "Boys do like their frogs!"

"He's just what I wanted" crowed Adam.

The frog hopped around the room, to the demonstrable satisfaction of everybody in the room, but Tabitha_. That is, until it suddenly disappeared._

"It was a very nice frog, Adam" said Samantha, entering the room. "But I'm afraid I had to get rid of it. The house is no place for frogs, zapped up or otherwise."

"Okay, Mommy" said Adam.

"Some flowers will be okay" said Esmeralda, giving Aunt Clara a bunch of carnations she had summoned.

"Very good, Esmeralda" said Aunt Clara. "Oh!"

Very good, but not perfect. A large bumblebee had been produced with the flowers, and buzzed threateningly . . . and comically . . . around Aunt Clara's nose.

"It's nice to have you back, Aunt Clara" said Samantha, after the bee had buzzed off. "Why ever did you stay away so long!"

"I want to talk to you about that" said Aunt Clara. "I have a confession to make, I - er was going to keep it a secret, but I think I'd rather tell you all about it. But let's do it downstairs, it's not something I want to say in front of the children!"

"Certainly, Aunt Clara" said Samantha, wrongly presuming Aunt Clara was referring to some _little _spell that had gone awry.

_Note:_

_"Aunt Clara's Reward" isn't the flowers or the frog, but the opportunity to spend time with her grandniece and grandnephew - something she was too ashamed to do until she restored their father to his original self._


	3. Aunt Clara's Storm Cloud

**Aunt Clara's Storm Cloud**

"_Oh my stars_" said Samantha, when she had heard what Aunt Clara had accidentally done to Darren Stephens.

_Samantha quickly twitched her nose, managing to produce a photograph of the "also ran" Darren to compare with the restored, and genuine, article._

"There was definitely a resemblance" Samantha observed, "but Darren didn't hold a candle to the original, which he always is anyways, or was . . . Oh My Stars!"

_Samantha twitched her nose, making the photograph of the "also-ran" disappear into thin air._

"He was always Darren" said Aunt Clara, red with embarrassment. "But his appearance and personality were, er, weakened. Instead of the boy having that quick, and, well, excitable temper we know so well, it was bleached into a mean sarcasm. Instead of the lively, ambitious mortal you fell in love with, he was dulled down to a, er, being grumpy and stiff."

"_Well_, I forgive you" said Samantha, giving her Aunt Clara an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "But you should have told me! We could have solved the problem sooner."

"No, you wouldn't have realized" said Aunt Clara sadly. "I was the only one who knew"

"Oh, poor Aunt Clara" said Samantha, kindly. "How you suffered! But . . . what spell were you _trying_ to cast?"

"I was trying to make the boy less nervous about witchcraft" said Aunt Clara regretfully. "Instead of calming him, I changed him."

"You ought to have remembered that we shouldn't use magic to change someone we love" Samantha told Aunt Clara. "_In fact_, I believe you're the one who taught me that!"

"Yes, I should have remembered. But, er, Darren seemed to be getting more upset, not less, what with Endora always pestering him."

"Well, never mind that," said Samantha. "What you must do, is never tell Darren what you did to him!"

"But, you know Samantha, er, honesty being the best policy and all" objected Aunt Clara. "I didn't want to tell you, but I decided it was right."

"And what Darren doesn't know won't hurt him" said Samantha decidedly. "Leastways, in this case. If he finds out, it'll make him dreadfully upset!"

"Exactly what I wanted to hear!" said Endora triumphantly_._

_Samantha's mother, and Aunt Clara's (and Uncle Arthur's) sister had appeared beside the two in a puff of smoke._

"I've been listening to these goings on, ever since Arthur and Clara arrived here earlier today" said Endora, in a voice dripping with sarcasm_ "to restore the rightful mortal man_. Really, Clara, to think you could still perform a spell with that much pizzaz!"

"Well, er, Endora, I've been a witch much longer than you" said Aunt Clara, who, oddly enough had a rather curious smile on her face.

"Much, much longer, my _dear older _sister" said Endora, dismissively.

"_Mother_" scolded Samantha. "Isn't this enough. Aunt Clara's sorry."

"Who said I was angry?" said Endora.

_With a gesture, Endora produced two life size portraits. One of the authentic, and current Darren Stephens. Another of the "also ran" Darren Stephens that had replaced the original for the span of three years._

"I have to agree with the general consensus" said Endora. "_For a mortal_, the original Durwood was by far the superior catch. _Not that it matters to me_. But I think we ought to compare and contrast. You love Darren so much, Samantha, how about I produce the two. _Honesty _demands Darren meet himself, and find out the truth about Aunt Clara's meddling!"

"_MOTHER!"_ Samantha exclaimed

"No, Endora" said Aunt Clara uncharacteristically firm. "You're not going to ruin Darren or Samantha's happiness anymore"

"Are _you _threatening _me!_" said Endora, highly amused.

Aunt Clara stood up, and with an elaborate wave of her arms said:

_Tornadoes, volcanoes, blizzards, monsoons and hurricanes,_

_Most powerful lightning and blinding rain,_

_Cast my most powerful spell to protect myself, my nephew in law, my doorknob collection same,_

_Forever and ever from my sister Endora's infinite chag- rain!_

"_Chagrain_" scoffed Endora. "Don't you mean chagrin? What kind of word for a spell is _Chagrain_?"

_Endora was interrupted by several colossal thunderclaps, the banging of the shutters before the force of hurricane strength winds, and a colossal cloudburst that was as brief as it was intense._

_After the gale had ended (alarming poor Mrs. Kravitz across the street, who was unable to alert her inattentive husband in time to notice it), Aunt Clara sat down with a satisfied smile, produced her doorknob collection and began polishing._

"Now what was that about!" demanded Endora.

"I don't know what you're, er, talking about dear" said Aunt Clara, noncommittal.

"Well, as I said I'm going . . . ." started Endora.

_Endora was stopped in mid-sentence as a small black storm cloud formed above her, and began pouring a cloudburst upon the furious witch._

"CLARA!" roared Endora "WHAT is the MEANING OF THIS!"

"_Aunt Clara_?" questioned Samantha nervously.

Without a motion by Aunt Clara, the storm cloud dissipated and disappeared entirely.

"Endora, you were too young to remember" Aunt Clara began, patiently placing down a gold and silver doorknob, "But you were a very disobedient little witch. Annoying mortals, trying to put spells on your older sisters. So father and mother . . . that is, to say, Samantha, your grandfather and grandmother, it's such a shame you never met them, I believe you are the image of mother, Samantha . . . er, that is to say, they placed an ingenious little thundercloud spell on you, Endora. If you were to cause trouble, or so much as even make the attempt, _it rained on you and did not stop until you began to behave yourself_."

"Aunt Clara!" Samatha exclaimed, shocked.

"YOU DARE TO _MAKE ME BEHAVE_?" Endora practically screeched.

_Endora raised her arms to use her full powers against her sister. However, Aunt Clara's storm cloud would have none of that. It quickly appeared and filled the whole room, wreaking wind, rain and lighting about Endora. Defeated, Endora lowered her arms. The storm disappeared again._

"I've had three years to plot, plan and practice this spell, Endora" said Aunt Clara. "I'm only your sister, not our father or mother. So this storm will only protect Darren from any, er, magical, well, trouble you might cause him. It will also protect me from you, not to mention, my little collection."

"You know" said Endora angrily, "I could merely shield myself with a magic umbrella"

Aunt Clara smiled slyly, "Dear, the spell won't stop until you, well, er, _set things right_. I don't think, er, that you would like to have everything wrecked and flooded around you.

"Everything wrecked and flooded!" realized Samantha. _With a twitch, she restored the room and her mother both - each had been reduced to a waterlogged shambles._

"Samantha" cried Endora, in a tone that was somewhere between an order and a whine. "Take off this spell!"

"Mother, you know Aunt Clara's the only one who can remove it!"

"Then _plead _with her!" begged Endora.

"_Aunt Clara!_" tried Samantha

"No, Samantha" said Aunt Clara, patting her niece's hand. "I've told Adam and Tabitha I'd give them a gift. The gift I give is to make amends for the trouble I've caused, and to give your little family peace of mind. We can't have Endora always fighting with Darren, always placing those, well, sneaky (_"Sneaky!" _interjected Endora) little spells on your husband. The gift I give you, Darren, Adam and Tabitha is, er, peace in the family."

"You're not going to believe that!" sniffed Endora.

"_Well_" Samantha allowed, throwing up her arms. "Mother, It won't hurt you _not _to put a spell on Darren."

"Indeed" said Endora, crossing her arms and looking daggers at Aunt Clara.

Aunt Clara, for her part, simply resumed polishing her doorknobs.


	4. Endora and Maurice

**Endora and Maurice**

Endora knew one person who could undo the spell. That is to say not so much as undo the spell, but overpower Aunt Clara and force_ her_ to undo it. That person was a powerful warlock; none other than Endora's husband, and Samantha's father, Maurice.

Endora found Maurice in a resort high in the Swiss Alps. A women's ski tournament was planned for the following week, Maurice was obviously romancing the contestants. He had all the tools of the trade, a snowy terrace overlooking the valley thousands of feet below, champagne and caviar, not to mention anything in the world he might wish to magic up.

Maurice didn't expect his wife to appear and attempt to monopolize his time, but there she was. Maurice greeted Endora in his usual theatrical style. For her part, Endora went right down to business. It was with a mixture of irritation and amusement that Maurice heard her out.

"Aunt Clara, you say, Endora" observed Maurice. "I wouldn't have expected her to manage such a feat. Two feats, I should say."

_Maurice waved a couple of his fingers, conjuring up memories of his mortal son-in-law. It was as though there were some ten or twenty odd films being projected into thin air. In this manner Maurice was able the view a record of each and every time he had met Darren Stephen. After a few moments Maurice waved his hand, and the projections dissolved into mist._

"Yes, Donald was changed these last three years" Maurice concluded. "If I cared much for him, I should have been angry. There is something to be said to the general view of the matter _- the original is the better, as far as mortals go. _However, that's not saying much, is it, Endora?

"I should say not!" Endora replied.

"Samantha is happy" Maurice observed, "She always did love her Aunt Clara, and from what you told me, she is still quite fond of the old witch. I really have nothing against Clara myself (1). It would be churlish to penalize Clara for repairing her own error. As it was, it was a spell centred on a _mortal_, a _mortal _that _neither _of us care for."

"But the spell on _me_, _Maurice_" Endora complained.

"What of it?" snapped Maurice. "So you will not be able to enchant the boy. You have spent the last decade playing those infantile tricks. They do little besides annoy Samantha, and have never yet managed to breakup the pair. When _I _found out about the _so-called marriage_, I simply liquidated the boy. This proved undesirable to either you or Samantha. So . . . despite the blot on the family honour, I restored him! As you yourself wished!"

"_Family honour_?" sneered Endora. "Clara's left me with no way to hold my head up high before that . . . that . . . _mortal_."

"Use your tongue," retorted Maurice, "It's always been sharp enough."

"And _family honour_" tried Endora. "Would you let a witch put a curse on your wife, and _get away with it_! You'll be the _laughing stock_ of the Warlock's Club!"

"No, I will not" said Maurice, evenly. "Clara is your elder sister by a good millennium, and as such she has that right. It is a matter entirely within your _own _family, not mine."

"And what will you do when the boy insults _you_?" leered Endora. "It won't be a matter solely within my family then!"

"I'll deal with him as I see fit" said Maurice. "And restore him as I see fit. However, as for you . . . I am content with your losing the power to be a nuisance to my daughter."

"A nuisance to _your _daughter!" said Endora.

"Yes, a nuisance" Maurice answered. "How long can Donald last? Another forty or fifty years at the most? Take the long view, Endora. To us a mortal's life is but a _Midsummer Night's Dream_."

In a grandiloquent tone, Maurice added:

_If we shadows have offended,  
Think but this, and all is mended,  
That you have but slumber'd here  
While these visions did appear.  
And this weak and idle theme,  
No more yielding but a dream _(2)

"Leave them be" Maurice concluded.

_Endora shrugged, and magically helped herself to some champagne._

"Very well, Maurice" said Endora cagily, "I'll leave them be. _I think I should spend a week or two here with you_. After all Maurice, there will be other ski competitions. A year to us is but _A Midsummer Night's Dream_."

Maurice eyed her shrewdly.

"That's my Endora" he said, in a voice that was not at all disappointed. "I should be glad to have you."

"Cheers" said Endora. The two clinked their glasses, and looked tranquilly at each other. Neither had so much as an eye for the scenery of the mountains about or the valley far below.

THE END

(1) In the third season episode "_Witches and Warlocks are My Favourite Things_," Maurice and Aunt Clara meet, and are seemingly on good terms with one another.

(2) From Puck's soliloquy at the end of a _Midsummer Night's Dream_.

Reviews greatly appreciated.


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